• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Scientists mind-blown after discovering a bizarre 'never seen before' rock on Mars

Home> Science

Published 11:26 8 Apr 2025 GMT+1

Scientists mind-blown after discovering a bizarre 'never seen before' rock on Mars

It could help piece together Mars' past

Rebekah Jordan

Rebekah Jordan

Scientists are left baffled after NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered a bizarre rock on Mars.

The captured images show hundreds of millimetre-sized marbles packed together in an alien-like mass.

Unlike anything ever seen before, the marbles strikingly stand out in the rusty red dust that covers the Martian surface.

Advert

This discovery follows another strange Martian find of spider-like cracks in the soil known as araneiforms.

The rock could be linked to Mars’ 4.6 billion-year-old past / NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP
The rock could be linked to Mars’ 4.6 billion-year-old past / NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

However, the team are unsure what 'quirk of geology' could've created the strange rock formation that's never been observed on Earth.

Some scientists think the discovery could be a link to Mars’ 4.6 billion-year-old past.

Advert

Once upon a time, the Red Planet was home to thousands of massive volcanoes that released powerful eruptions.

US space agency NASA described past outbursts there as 'super eruptions' - way more explosive than normal eruptions. Perseverance found the new rock formation along the rim of Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide area that scientists believe may once have been filled with water.

"The Perseverance Science Team were astonished by a strange rock comprised of hundreds of millimetre-sized spheres," said Alex Jones, a PhD student from Imperial College London's department of earth science.

"Placing these features in geologic context will be critical for understanding their origin, and determining their significance for the geological history of the Jezero Crater rim and beyond."

Advert

The mass is actually made up of spherules which are mostly-round pebbles that range from 0.01mm to 4mm in diameter (up to 0.15 inches). These spherules can differ in shape, though.

Some are stretched out into more oval shapes, others have angular edges and a few even have little holes in them. But, no one knows yet why there’s so much variety in such a small space.

Spider-like cracks in the soil are known as araneiforms / Universal History Archive / Contributor  / Getty
Spider-like cracks in the soil are known as araneiforms / Universal History Archive / Contributor / Getty

"Each of these formation mechanisms would have vastly different implications for the evolution of these rocks, so the team is working hard to determine their context and origin," Jones added.

Advert

On Earth, spherules form when molten rock cools quickly during a volcanic eruption or when a meteorite impact vaporises the condensation of rock.

Dr. Matthew Chojnacki, a planetary geologist at the Planetary Science Institute, suggested the spheres could be from 'frothy lava' that cooled quickly but can't be certain without more data from 'chemistry or mineralogy.' Furthermore, Dr. Joel Davis, planetary geologist at Imperial College London, said that water flowing underground billions of years ago may have formed the spherules.

"[This was] potentially when conditions were too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface," Dr. Davis explained.

"Findings like this help geologists build a picture of how and when Mars might have changed, from a warm, wet planet 3-4 billion of years ago, to the cold, very dry environment we see today."

Featured Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Mars
Nasa
Space
Science

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • NASA scientists astonished after discovering 'treasure' on Mars 'unlike anything ever seen before'
  • NASA scientists stunned after discovering mysterious 'skull hill' on Mars
  • Scientists astonished after discovering never-before-seen 'Big Wheel' galaxy that shouldn't exist
  • NASA scientists stunned after discovering almost perfectly square structure on Mars

Choose your content:

2 days ago
  • 2 days ago

    Scientists identify source of eerie ocean rings used as a 'communication' signal from non-humans

    This could change everything

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Shocking study reveals exactly how quickly humanity would go extinct if we stopped having children

    Humanity could be plunged into chaos quicker than you might think

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Doctor issues warning over simple supplement dubbed 'nature's Ozempic'

    Opting for 'natural Ozempic' might not be as good as it seems

    Science
  • 2 days ago

    Scientists discover groundbreaking new evidence that the Big Bang theory is wrong

    A team of researchers have come up with the new Black Hole Universe theory

    Science